Various types of display devices, e.g., display panels, such as signs, signaling apparatus, etc. are in wide use. One type of conventional display panel is made by printing letters and/or numerals on a substrate using paint, dyes, etc. Substrates such as steel, wood, glass, etc. can be used to make the display panel. Examples of such display panels include common placards and signs. Another type of conventional display panel uses a dynamic display. Examples of such dynamic display panels include liquid crystal displays, light emitting diode (LED) displays, etc. Still another type of conventional display panel includes neon tubes and similar static devices that display more or less fixed information.
For aesthetic or practical purposes, it may be desirable to choose one type of display panel rather than another. For example, a sign with letters and/or numbers on a transparent substrate, such as a glass store window, allows customers to see through most of the window into the store to view the goods on display. As another example, it may be desirable to use a neon sign to convey information when a person wants to be able to turn the sign on at night but leave it off during the daytime.
It would be desirable to provide a display device having improved properties as compared to known display devices. It would also be desirable to provide a display device capable of directing or redirecting electromagnetic radiation in one or more predetermined directions.